


I Know A Guy

by SwoodMaxProductions



Category: Dead Cells (Video Game), Hyper Light Drifter
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Blood, Character Death Fix, Fix-It, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Gen, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, Near Death Experiences, Rescue, references to Brawlout and Bounty Battle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:20:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26920531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SwoodMaxProductions/pseuds/SwoodMaxProductions
Summary: The Beheaded is the Drifter’s friend. He’s teamed up with him in multiple worlds.He also has a friend who can save the Drifter’s life.
Relationships: The Beheaded & the Drifter
Comments: 7
Kudos: 39





	I Know A Guy

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Panacea](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20290711) by [TomDuggerbug](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TomDuggerbug/pseuds/TomDuggerbug). 



> I have an announcement to make.
> 
> This is my 69th fanfic.
> 
> All together now:
> 
> N I C E

It was done. It was too late for him. He knew it. He knew he didn’t have much longer. But everyone else. They were safe. They were going to live. A weak smile flickered across lips dripping with magenta blood. If this was how it had to end… so be it.

~~~

“You’re sure this is the right place? Your friend is here?”

The Time Keeper’s question was answered by enthusiastic nodding from the Beheaded. Their little adventuring party pressed further into the cave, concerned for the friend that the Beheaded claimed he’d met in other worlds.

This “Drifter”, as he’d been described, had vouched for their headless friend when other warriors from the crossed realms had turned against him, or at least that’s what they’d been able to glean past the homunculus’s scrawled handwriting. He’d even drawn them a crude picture of them as a guide, which, the Time Keeper had to admit, was adorable.

The Beheaded suddenly broke into a sprint, and as he dashed forward into the cavern, his torch illuminated a crumpled body slumped against a column…

Were they too late?

~~~

The sea. The world. The view. It was a final gift from the Jackal as she departed into her regenerative hibernation. He may have been dying in a cave, but he could see the world he saved. It was beautiful. The sea and sky merged, things went out of focus. He could see two blue lights in the dimming vision. They disappeared for just a fraction of a second, then reappeared.

They  _ blinked. _ They were  _ eyes… _

Out of the shadows of his fading life, the Drifter could make out a great, dark…  _ thing, _ with eyes like fluorescent lights, shrouded in black and eerie blue. It was easily twice as tall as he was, and the way it moved was like no sentient being he’d ever seen.

The creature spoke, its voice raspy and hoarse, and much too distant and distorted. Was this Death?

_ “Bei… ffect… thing else… alive… wants him...” _

It stalked towards him on long, digitigrade legs. It held out its hand to him.

_ “Drifter… hear… me…” _

He ran. He ran toward the edge of the illusion, that was crumbling into darkness. Whatever that thing was, the Drifter would take his chances with death than whatever the dark figure wanted to do to him. He was so tired now. It was so hard to move…

Looking behind him, Drifter saw it, running at him with blinding speed, crouched lower to the ground and moving like a bullet. He had only seconds before it was upon him, and he knew he wasn’t going to make it.

It pounced. He fell.

He jerked awake.

He was back in the cave, and three people were gathered around him. One was instantly recognizable— the strange, seemingly nameless undead entity he always seemed to be running into. He was practically vibrating with joy upon seeing the Drifter open his eyes.

The two people accompanying him were total strangers. One was a woman, white-haired and white-skinned, wearing a horned, four-eyed mask. She appeared to be holding the back of his headless friend’s shirt to keep him from smothering him in a relieved hug. The other… was the same figure from his vision.

“There you are…” rasped the hooded entity, “I take it you are the Drifter I’ve been hearing so much about? How do you feel?”

Whatever was under that hood, he wasn’t a threat. In fact, he had an empty syringe in his hand, residually glowing… 

“You… did you…?”

“Yes. Thank goodness your heart was still beating, or we might have lost you. I don’t know what god wanted you dead, but rest assured they can no longer harm you.”

Judgement. This man… whatever he was… had saved his life. Judgement had failed to take him with them.

“...Thank you…”

The man was smiling. He could see it in his eyes.

“You’re welcome. And you’re not feeling any… dissociation? No power overload?”

The Drifter shook his head.

“Excellent, excellent! I am the Collector, and this is the Time Keeper. You seem to have already met our mutual friend…”

The realization hit him. It was his friend that brought these people here. To save him.

“He, uh. Really wants to hug you…” said the Time Keeper.

The Drifter weakly held up his arms, and the Time Keeper released his undead friend, who hurled himself into the Drifter’s arms. It was understandable. He’d come across him dying… From everything he knew about him, the undying warrior was a kind, friendly person, and it must have been terrible for him to think he had arrived too late. The Drifter smiled, patting his back.

The touch of a friend felt so good. The Drifter had never had much contact, and to be  _ hugged _ like this… it was heavenly. Only the dwindling torchlight pulled the two apart, and the fiery-headed man offered the Drifter his hand to help him to his feet, and he and his equally odd friends led the Drifter out of the cave and into the light of day.

**Author's Note:**

> Tragedy is not inherently more valuable the ancient Greeks can kiss my ass


End file.
